Elected officials were on hand to break ground on the new home for St. Ann’s Warehouse at the Tobacco Warehouse in DUMBO last week. The vacant site will be used as a theater and a community space once construction is complete.

Currently, St. Ann’s Warehouse is located at 29 Jay Street. In 2010, St. Ann’s was designated as the conditional lessee for the Tobacco Warehouse. Since then, the group has launched a $27 million capital campaign to renovate the location into a useable theater space.

“Today is another big day for Brooklyn Bridge Park and the beginning of a great new chapter in the history of the Tobacco Warehouse and the St. Ann’s Warehouse preforming arts institution,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “The renovated warehouse will have a multi-use space for artist, schools and community groups, and will be a wonderful addition to New York’s proud tradition of arts and culture in our public parks.”

Marcel Architects designed an 18,000-square-foot enclosed building with a flexible performance space the size and signature style of the previous St. Ann’s Warehouse theater, which was just blocks from the new site.

“After 35 years, St. Ann’s Warehouse is at home,” said Borough President Marty Markowitz. “One thing is for certain, for decades ahead the St. Ann’s audience will come to one of the most beautiful places on earth, on the banks of the East River, to see exciting, groundbreaking music and theater productions with award-winning artists.”

The original brick walls of the historic Tobacco Warehouse will be preserved and visible throughout the foyer, theater and community room.

“Today’s groundbreaking marks the first of several milestones on the horizon at Brooklyn Bridge Park,” said Regina Myer, president of Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation. “Through this collaborative effort, we will breathe new life into the Tobacco Warehouse and create a unique amenity in the park.”

There will also be a 7,600-square-foot open-air space currently proposed as a birch tree grove open to the public. It will also act as an entranceway for the theater from New Dock Street.

“The groundbreaking is a true celebration we can share with our neighbors and with each other,” said Susan Feldman, founder and artistic director of St. Ann’s Warehouse. “It took more than a village to save this place. It took our neighborhood, city, state and the country all working together.”